Stem cell therapy continues to receive a lot of focus from scientists and health organization worldwide as new methods of treating various diseases are researched. This therapy can be applied on animals and human beings to treat and prevent a multitude of medical conditions. Most therapies are still being researched and developed with only a few having been used successfully on live tissues on humans or animal models. So far, bone marrow transplant is the commonest therapy done by many stem cell treatment centers.

Bone marrow transplant is the only kind of stem cell therapy that is in wide use. It is employed in the treatment of blood diseases like leukemia in cancer patients. It has been in use for several years and continues to be researched further. In future, this therapy will be able to be used in the treatment of heart diseases, diabetes, HIV AIDS, deafness, missing teeth, baldness, neurodegeneration, infertility, and formation of blood cells among several other conditions.

Stem cells used in treatment are derived from various sources some of which have raised a lot of concerns among critics. Of all the cells, the major ones used are the embryonic stem cells which are isolated and cultured from embryos. Critics argue that derivation of such cells promote abortion and human cloning. Another way of creating cells involves the use of somatic cell nuclear transfer techniques and induction of pluripotent cells.

Treatments which are formed basing on transplanting of cultured umbilical cord blood continue to face challenges and criticism in marketing. This is because this field is highly criticized. The controversies lead to lack of finances by research facilities, which shut done later while researchers are discouraged . Some treatments which would be complete by now are hindered by the challenges.

Therapy works through regeneration of damaged or lost cells in the affected area. Cells are introduced in the affected area where they stimulate formation of lost body cells. This effect has been determined to be able to treat conditions that lead to brain degeneration such as amyyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Alzheimer disease, and Parkinson disease. In the same way, normal body tissue can be generated to replace the typical scar tissue that forms on wounds.

Many people have high hopes in these therapies but they do not understand the technicalities involves. First, one must understand that human and animal bodies have stem cells of different types which perform specific functions in human body. This limits their ability to treat more than one condition especially if the conditions are unrelated. Tissue specific cells only perform the function they are meant for and specialized in.

There is a lot of complexity in the methods used for introducing cells into human bodies. Besides the side effects, patients are faced with several dangers during the introduction process. Before the derived cells are returned into the body, the first have to be cultured. The cells are coded with instructions on how they should behave when introduced into live tissues. It is these instructions that present problems when they fail to work as expected.

The therapy also involves very high costs to be performed. This makes it unaffordable to most people. People therefore continue suffering because they cannot afford treatment.